You’re never too old for a little spring break… That’s why I’m giving away two copies of the newest edition of The Rough Guide to Cancun & the Yucatan. The book came out last fall, so the info’s quite fresh and includes some great new spots I was excited to discover during research last winter: a cool Maya hut near some of the peninsula’s best cenotes, for instance, and some great restaurants and new hotels in Valladolid.
If you head south now, yes, there’s a little spring-break craziness in Cancun, but even 15 minutes south in Puerto Morelos, the beach scene is pretty mellow. If you head to Mexico during Semana Santa, the week before Easter (April 1-8), you’ll be on vacation with pretty much the entire country. This isn’t as crazy as it sounds–as I discovered a couple of summers ago, Mexicans are really fun tourists, and in some places, like the little church in San Juan Chamula outside San Cristobal de las Casas, it’s nice to be part of a crowd.
Win your copy of the book just by entering a comment below–maybe let me know what kind of Mexican food you’re hankering for. I could go for a cochinita pibil torta right about now…
The contest will be open until next Sunday night, March 25, at midnight EDT. I’ll pick two comments through a random-number generator. Thanks for entering!
Update: I am now starving. A little slow on picking the winning numbers, but here we go…
Oh, what the heck: you’re all winners! After discounting Maria (no offense, but who already has a copy of the book), that’s exactly the number of extra copies I have lying around here. Christine, yours will be coming by courier in May (I’ll explain by email).
Tacos al pastor – with tiny chunks of pineapple.
Would love some negro mole enchiladas and an icy can of Sol…sitting by the beack, of course 🙂
Hi Zora!
I just used your book during my trip to the Yucatan, Chiapas and Quintana Roo. It was fabulous, and so very helpful. I loved all your recommendations and found out that apart from La Chaya Maya and local markets, it’s really hard to find tortillas made with masa fresca rather than maseca. This was a sad thing to learn so I feel extra happy to know that Nixtamal in Queens is only a 3 hour drive south.
Thanks again for your great book. Saludos y gracias.
Thanks, Maria–that’s always so, so nice to hear good feedback. Although a little sad, as you say, to hear about the declining state of tortillas there! I think that’s a little bit of a recent development. I remember noticing a giant Maseca plant north of Merida and thinking, ‘That can’t be a good sign…’
We just had a wine-pairing dinner, and accompanied Criollo pork confit with the most delicious tomato and hoja santa tamal with Xcatic chile cream sauce. Wine: Quatrocchi Reserva Bonarda. Yum!
Christine, this sounds fantastic! Everyone reading: Xcanatun is the place to be for alta cocina yucateca!
Zora, I could really go for some of those street tacos in Cancun–the ones away from the coast and in the city center. Yummy. I like my taco trucks in Jersey City but the real thing is so much better.
Hmmmm…. Let’s see, Zora- am thinking of pescado veracruz. That tasty lil’ spicy fish wrapped in banana leaf with a cold cerveza. OR fresh ceviche made from fish right off the boat, “simmered” in lime and fresh squeezed orange juice until it pops up white in the bowl and tons of garlic and cilantro. Like I made one day many moons ago out of our tent, with a guy named Patrick in a little Mexican bay area.
Excellent story, Patti!